Daniel Ricciardo will be back for an amazing race Formula 1 at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Eight-time Grand Prix winner, beaten by McLaren at the end of last year, he will replace Nyck de Vries on Red BullA year-round AlphaTauri sub-group.
The Hungarian GP is on July 23.
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“I’m delighted to be back safely with the Red Bull family,” Ricciardo said in a statement released by Red Bull Racing on Tuesday (AEST).
Rookie De Vries was hired by AlphaTauri earlier this season but was dropped after just 10 races, paving the way for Ricciardo’s sudden comeback.
Ricciardo’s career, 34, appeared to be over after he was deemed to be too much for McLaren following two difficult seasons with the British team.
Ricciardo failed to stay in the seat for the 2023 season and instead chose to return to Red Bull – the team with which he won seven Grands Prix – as a driver.
“I am happy to welcome Daniel back to the team,” said Franz Tost, CEO of AlphaTauri. “There is no doubt about his driving skills, and he already knows many of us, so his integration will be smooth and easy… I want to thank Nyck for his great contribution during his time with Scuderia AlphaTauri, and I wish him all the best for the future.”
Ricciardo got his first taste of this season’s Red Bull in a tire test at Silverstone on Tuesday – 48 hours after the British Grand Prix in which De Vries finished 17th.
Given Sergio Perez’s performance, which has seen him fall 99 points behind teammate Max Verstappen in the world championship, AlphaTauri’s move to loan Ricciardo will fuel speculation that the Australian could be in the running for Red Bull.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said “we are excited to see what the rest of the season will bring Daniel on loan” to AlphaTauri.
For the 28-year-old De Vries, the writing appeared on the wall after Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko recently said that Horner was right to ask why he had been sealed.
The Dutch driver crashed several times and failed to score a point with a perfect 12th finish at the Monaco Grand Prix in May.
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